About
CrackerHammer is the official website of multimedia content specialist Michael Mercadante. Located in historic Bucks County, PA, Michael has more than 20 years of professional, award-winning experience in content design, management and promotion. He is a published author with credits in newspapers, magazines, journals and websites, and has won awards for writing, filmmaking and photography.
Background and Overview of Experience
Michael has a strong academic and professional background in art, design, filmmaking and writing. He studied Communications and Fine Art before getting his degree in American History from Temple University. He started working professionally at the age of 16, when he took work as a lighting assistant for a company creating training videos. Later that year, he began producing his own weekly television show for the local cable access station. Over the years, he has designed a variety of marketing materials for various businesses, including logos, press releases, brochures, newsletters, business cards and training materials. In 1999, he began creating websites professionally. Over the past ten years, he has accumulated a wealth of expertise and knowledge on proper techniques for creating a visually aesthetic, highly functional website following the principles of accepted inbound marketing strategies for search engine optimization.
Michael has designed, managed and promoted multimedia content for businesses such as The Philadelphia Zoo, PennDOT, The American Automobile Association (AAA), The Parkinson Council, Cult Movies Magazine and many more.
Learn More about Michael Mercadante
Standard Rates
For 2010, my standard hourly rate is $40.00, billed as accrued in 15-minute intervals. You only pay for the time it actually takes me to complete the work, so you can keep costs down by sending me several requests at once. Browse the service and portfolio pages on my website for special package rate information. Tight or fixed budget? Special per-project pricing for certain services may be negotiated on an individual basis. Contact me to discuss your needs.
Travel Costs
Do you need me to travel? For work performed at your location outside a 20-mile radius of Quakertown, PA, travel expenses are billed at the current IRS standard mileage rate (the 2010 rate is $0.50/mile). If you are beyond a 150-mile radius, you’ll need to cover airfare, travel expenses and overnight accomodations as necessary.
No Monthly Maintenance Fees
I do not charge monthly fees to manage your website or multimedia marketing properties. I have one recent customer whose previous webmaster charged $100/month, whether he did anything to the site or not. Switching to me has saved them $1200 a year! And, while I do make recommendations periodically that can improve your website or project, I’ll never perform billable work without your authorization.
Invoicing and Payment Methods
Prior to beginning any work, I will provide you with an estimated total cost depending upon your specific requests. Once the work is complete, I will invoice you via email (preferred) or postal mail for the total amount. Invoices are considered due upon receipt. A 5% penalty fee is charged after 30 days of non-payment, and again every 30 days thereafter. Invoices older than 180 days are sent to a collection agency. Payments can be made via postal mail in the form of company or personal checks or bank money orders. Payments can also be made online, safely and easily, using a credit card via PayPal. Regular clients under contract can opt for monthly invoicing. I reserve the right to withhold project files until final payment is received. I also reserve the right to request a deposit before work begins on large projects with new clients.
All clients for whom I perform more than $600 in work in a given year are required to provide me and the IRS with a completed form 1099. Consult your tax professional for more information.
Ongoing Needs
These days, many companies are outsourcing their multimedia and marketing work. If you need my services on a regular, ongoing basis, consider putting me under contract. It’s cheaper than maintaining a highly-skilled staff on payroll, and an annual contract benefits you further by locking in my rate (which is evaluated and possibly adjusted in January of each year). For high volume work, I may also be able to negotiate with you to perform services at a discounted rate. Contact me for more information.
Back-End And Percentage Royalty Agreements
I consider back-end or percentage royalty agreements without up-front payment on a per-project basis. Email me your business plan and project overview to begin discussion. Likewise, I may also consider a mutually-beneficial barter agreement for services.
